Press Release

Westair Helicopters becomes one of the first operators in the oil and gas market to fly the upgraded version of the H225.

Issued by Milestone Aviation Group.

November 12, 2024

The Milestone Aviation Group Limited, the global leader in helicopter leasing, today announced that it has signed a lease agreement with Westair Helicopters for one Airbus H225 aircraft, which is due for delivery in the coming weeks.

Westair Helicopters provides helicopter services in Africa and Europe, primarily serving the oil and gas industry. This Airbus H225 is the first heavy helicopter to be added to Westair's fleet and will support Westair's offshore operations in Namibia, Africa.

Sébastien Moulin, chief commercial officer, Milestone, said, “Milestone is delighted to welcome Westair as a new customer with the imminent delivery of this H225. This agreement highlights Milestone's commitment to transitioning the H225 back into the oil and gas market, by making significant investment to reconfigure the helicopter from utility to an oil and gas specification. We thank the Westair Helicopter team for the confidence they have placed in Milestone, and we look forward to working together for many years to come.”

Edwin Soeter, chief executive officer, Westair Helicopters, said, 'The introduction of the H225 will be a gamechanger for Westair Helicopters, making us one of the first operators in the oil and gas market to fly the upgraded version of this helicopter. The addition of the H225 will enable us to satisfy strong customer demand while optimising efficiencies. Thanks to the strong commitment of the Milestone and Airbus Helicopters teams, we will be able to operate our first unit in Namibia before the end of this year, before introducing two additional units in the following months.'

Westair Helicopters was founded in 2018 by Weststar Aviation Services in Malaysia, with the aim of expanding helicopter services to Europe and Africa under the Weststar NDD brand, primarily serving the oil and gas industry. In 2023, two new partners, Westair Aviation in Namibia, and Avico Group in France, joined forces to lead the company, rebranding it as Westair Helicopters. Headquartered in Milan Malpensa, ut currently operates a fleet of 14 Leonardo AW189, AW139 and AW169 helicopters across Africa and Europe under an Italian QOC.